casefiles
by wild wolf free17
Summary: Drabbles from every episode.
1. Pilot

_Disclaimer for every chapter: none you recognize are mine. Some titles are from poems or songs or sayings; if you want to know for sure, check the masterlist on my livejournal._

_Warnings: spoilers for everything, eventually. But the individual chapters shall not come with ratings or their own specific warnings. These little drabbles will follow canon, completely. No wincest or AUness here._

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**a brother's crumb**

He watches Dean drive away, and only wants to call out for a moment, to run after him like the little brother he hasn't been in years. It was fun, he's man enough to admit, being on a hunt again, teaming up with Dean. But it's not his life anymore.

It's not.

He watches Dean drive away and then walks back to Jessica, the dream he's so close to attaining.

It was fun, with Dean, but—that's not him anymore.

It's _not_. And it won't ever be again.


	2. Wendigo

**Predator **

It hungers, craving flesh, muscle, blood. It hungers so much its whole body trembles for satiation. It wakes from slumber because of hunger's agonizing force.

There are creatures in its wood, four-footed and fleet. They take flight quickly and it gives chase, catching them in a few moments.

It feasts and craves more.

It hungers, hears more creatures, recognizes the smell. It follows their scent and their noise. They are the easiest prey, these pale things like it once was. They are the tastiest. They are slow and foolish, so fragile. Their skin tears and they shriek—such a pleasant sound.


	3. Dead in the Water

**Voices in the mind **

The man gleams in florescent light and Lucas is entranced. The echoing voice—_come play with me, I'm so lonely, come play, come play, please come play_—quiets in his presence.

The man's eyes are kind and his voice soft. He speaks to Lucas like a person, not a broken toy, and Lucas wants to tell him. He even opens his mouth, but no words come.

So he draws what he wishes to say and can't look at the man for fear of disappointment.

But the man comes back and he speaks and Lucas is caught in his voice, the echoing once again silenced. It is peace.

Lucas wants to tell him the truth, what happened to Daddy. But the words are trapped in his throat, and the lake has not released him yet.


	4. Phantom Traveler

**reasons not to fly**

Hank notices the guy walking up and down the aisle with a bastardized Walkman. It's been awhile since he saw one of those. He nods in camaraderie because the guy is practically vibrating in terror, and Hank's been scared of flying since he was seven and got on a plane for the first time.

Everything's fine and Hank is almost calm forty minutes in—nothing's gone wrong. It'll all be fine.

That's when the plane starts to fall out of the sky.

In his panic, Hank hallucinates a deep voice chanting in Latin. Even though he's making it up, Hank focuses on the words, trying to calm the fuck down. At least he'll die with his pride intact. It's an exorcism: he recognizes it from his summer spent with Dad's friend, Jim Murphy.

Been a long time since Hank thought of him, of either of them.

The plane rights itself when the Latin stops and Hank watches a tall young man rise to his feet. He follows the man's gaze to the Walkman guy, and they share a significant look.

Hank doesn't understand, but he knows enough to realize the whole plane owes the tall guy their lives. He wants to thank them, but they fade into the background once the plane lands.

Anyway, he needs to call Marie. There's no way he's ever getting on a plane again, even to get to her grandma's funeral on time.


	5. Bloody Mary

**they share the same blood and the same blows**

Dean would love to talk himself out of the hole his quick thinking has dug him, but there's glass shattering inside the antique shop and Sam's never been good at looking after himself.

Dean had looked over the cops, the instant he exited the store, quickly written them off—about Dad's age, probably older, but not as big and nowhere near as fit: too many donuts, not enough trips to the gym. Within seconds after walking outside, he'd catalogued every way to take them down.

Sam needs him, whether the kid knows it or not, so he deals with the cops and hurries back.


	6. Skin

**Imposter**

_for Mom_

She has no brain, but even so she knows that something is not right. The fleshbloodbone directing her movements is not her specialboy; it is another, something Other. One of those things she used to hunt with her boy John and still hunts with her specialboy and his brother.

She longs to rebel, to fight off this impersonator, this fleshbloodbone thief. But she cannot. All she can do is quietly curse, and shriek for her specialboy Dean to find her. He'll teach this imposter to mess with her.


	7. Hookman

**the perks of working in a library **

Miriam has a husband she loves, but that doesn't keep her from looking when perfect eye candy walks in the door. She's let herself go since marrying Rob, but she's still fit enough.

So when Eye-Candy walks up to her desk, with Tallie behind him, she straightens to her full height and smiles. "Can I help you?" she asks, letting her gaze roam Eye-Candy. He preens—a guy looking like that _knows_, no doubt about it.

"We were wonderin'," he says, his eyes dropping from her face south, but instantly back up, "if you might have the arrest records for this town."

Not a usual request, by any means. She thinks for a minute, gaze shifting to Tallie's hopeful face.

"Let me check," she replies, putting a swing in her hips as she walks past them to the office.

Turns out, they have arrest records dating back over a hundred years. Eye-Candy and Tallie both look stunned by the amount of boxes.

"Thank you," Eye-Candy says as she walks away, swinging her hips again. She glances back and they're angled toward each other, murmuring. She sighs.


	8. Bugs

**a past that's rooted in pain**

His whole life, he's never once been afraid of bugs till he sees the swarm coming. But when he looks, and there's that gigantic cloud, and he knows what it wants, his entire body goes cold.

There's no time, no way of escaping, and those two guys—the nice, tall one, and the biting still-tall but not as tall one—order them inside.

He knows there's no way out. But still—with those two guys, he's willing to hope.

But if he does survive? He's killing every bug he ever sees again.


	9. Home

**My mother knew me twice and then I had to leave her**

It almost breaks him, setting foot back in that house. He's had nightmares about it for years—_screams, Mommy, fire, burnburnburn__**Mommy**_—and woken shivering, shuddering, wanting to cry for Mommy, but Mommy won't ever come.

But Sam says they need to go home, need to see if there's something there, something destructive and malevolent. Sam says they need to, just to be sure.

So he follows Sam into that nightmare house, sealing himself up tight, shoring up his walls. They need to do this, and he won't be the weak link—not this time.


	10. Aslyum

**You will die somewhat, again and again**

_I have a mind of my own._

_Are you that desperate for his approval?_

It's not Sammy. It's Ellicott, rooting around in his mind, calling forth anger and resentment. It's stuff Sam thinks for a split second, amped up and forced out.

But it's not Sammy. Dean listens—can't help but hear—and tries to reason with him. It's not Sam, though, so there's no one to reason with.

And it's not like Ellicott is making him say anything new. Sam's told him all this before, back when he was a snot-nosed punk of an eighteen-year-old, storming out to make it on his own. Dean refused to go with him and Sam lost it, screaming and crying and calling Dean nothing but a lap-dog with fangs and a gun.

It's Ellicott forcing Sam to speak, but they're all Sam's words.

The rocksalt hurts, but Dean'll heal. And Sam keeps talking, spurned on by a dead sadist.

Dean offers him his own gun, a test to see how awake Sam is in there.

And Sam pulls the trigger. Four times. _Four damned times_, just to be sure.

The non-existent bullets burn, cutting him open and making his soul bleed.

But Dean'll heal. He always does.


	11. Scarecrow

**And I am my brother's keeper**

On a night full of anger, they both say things they regret. Dean is hurting—inside and out—and Sam keeps pushing long after he knows he should stop. He shoves hard, and it's not even Dean he's pissed at.

It's _never_ Dean he's pissed at, but Dean still always bears the brunt of his fury anyway.

And on that night—still aching from the asylum and Sam's half-assed apology and Dad's complete _lack_ of an apology—Dean drives away. First time he's ever left Sam. Ever.

Sam watches him go, feeling more lost than he's ever been, because Dean isn't the one who leaves.

And if this is what it feels like, no wonder Dean was so pissed. Sam thinks he might understand his brother a little bit more. But not enough to call him back.


	12. Faith

**There is no one left who understands how I wait**

Mom still has hope, clinging to it to stay alive. But Layla has accepted her death, is ready for it. Roy, long since become a friend, never picks her and Layla isn't sure why, except that the chosen must have some destiny, some greatness waiting.

Another service, and two men are muttering. She can't help but hear and speak up, spinning around to face them.

Both are handsome and fit, tall and broad. But she sees how careful the taller is being with his friend, and how the blond winces when he moves.

Something is gravely wrong with him, even though he straightens and flirts with her. The taller one rolls his eyes and she grins. This flirt is dying, like her, but he'll probably even try to charm Death when it comes for him.

She smiles and goes with Mom, feeling better for the first time in days.


	13. Route 666

**hoarded these constants into morning only to find them gone**

He can't believe Dean got serious enough to tell a girl the truth. Dean bore his soul to Cassie, and she spat on him. She threw him out, called him a liar and a freak.

No wonder he's so flippant. He let himself show and got nothing but scorn. It pisses Sam off, and he wants to strangle Cassie for giving his brother even less self-worth.

Dean still cares for the bitch, still comes running the instant she calls, despite how much she hurt him. He's endlessly forgiving, and Sam doesn't understand. Sam ran all the way to California because he got tired of never being right, but Dean always took what Dad gave, never shied away or questioned. Just like he takes what Sam gives, and so rarely ever strikes back.

So it doesn't surprise Sam at all that Dean chose a woman who'd forever find fault with him. It's all he knows how to take, and Sam almost hates Dad for that. And himself.

Sam wants to break Cassie apart, but he'll refrain. He'll act like a gleeful little brother, giving big brother crap. He'll play the part like Dean expects, no matter how much he wants to do otherwise. Cassie turned Dean away once and Sam can tell she's not smart enough to see what a mistake that was, so she'll do it again. And Sam'll be here to help Dean, for a while longer, at least.


	14. Nightmare

**bronco that would not be broken of dancing**

Dean dying has been Sam's worst dream for years. Even the premonitions of Jessica dying never quite equaled nightmares from Sam's childhood. He imagined every possibility a creative boy could think of, and even some his waking hours couldn't comprehend.

Sam has watched Dean die at least once a month since he was eight years old, and none have ever terrified him as much as the vision he has while pinned behind the bookshelf in Max's house. Every vision he's had has come true.

Dean will die, brain blown out by his own gun.

Dean will die, while Sam's trapped, helpless to stop it.

Dean will die. Sam watches it happen seconds before it will, and he screams. Sam has just gotten Dean back from death, and refuses to lose him again.

The bookshelf moves away.


	15. The Benders

**deathchild**

She wasn't used to strangers. None had ever entered the house before, their sanctuary. She looked at him for a moment before he noticed her—he was prettier than Daddy or Lee or Jarrod, cleaner. She wanted to trace his jaw, to have his face decorate her bedroom, next to that picture the lady-cop gave her.

But then he saw her and she watched him write her off as a little girl, as no threat. She'd never be as big or strong as Lee and Jarrod and Daddy, but Missy was already quicker.

So, pretty or not, she'd show him. And after he died, maybe Daddy'd let her have those jewel-like eyes.


	16. Shadow

**things unknown but longed for still**

They're his boys. He can see them as babies while he looks at the men before him. Sam's gotten even taller, and still isn't done filling out. He hesitates—and that hurts John, Sammy being unsure. It's his own damn fault though, the way things stand. John wishes he had less pride, so he could apologize.

But Dean—John has never done a thing good enough to be rewarded with this boy, ever-forgiving. He's boundless with his absolution. John and Sam, they've taken advantage of that for years, and will continue to do so, and he'll never stop letting them.

John pulls Dean close, wishing the months ahead could be easy, simple. But everything is just getting started, and Dean—

John turns to Sammy. He's the point, the beginning. It's all about him. But Dean—_he's_ the key.

They're his boys. He sees his and Mary's babies in these strong men. It'll come down to split-second decisions, and he has to hope they'll be fast enough.

Sam wraps his arms around John, and he remembers when this man was small enough to hold in one hand, and so very fragile.


	17. Hell House

**words aren't much company**

They're tall. Extremely tall. Craig's jealous. And they're reporters, here for the story.

Craig's become an expert at telling the lies, so they eat it up. He keeps it simple; Dana told him the best way to get caught is to keep embellishing, so he tells the same story every time.

They're not just tall, he notices. They're also insanely gorgeous.

Damn. If all reporters look like them, he's going into the wrong career.


	18. Something Wicked

**wildflowers at the window at breakfast**

No matter what Joanna's mother says, she is not in the habit of trusting strange men, of being taken in by a pretty face and earnest eyes. She knows the dangers—raising two boys on her own, of course she does.

But Asher needs her at the hospital, and Michael is responsible enough to run the hotel for a little while, until Denise arrives.

She sees Michael talking to the newest customer, so she calls him over and gives her instructions. As she knew he would, he wants to go with her, to check on Asher.

She's frazzled and worried, and the shorter man(still tall, though) tells her to let him drive. She knows she's freaking out, in no condition to get behind the wheel, but getting in a car with a stranger, someone twice her size?

Joanna looks in his eyes and sees only honest concern. So she decides to trust him.


	19. Provenance

**I saw you as you were**

They don't belong here. He can tell that with one glance. The shorter on is out-and-out rude, which no one dares to be in this auction house, not to him. The taller tries to smooth things over, but he will not be treated like a common waiter in his own place.

He doesn't take the offered hand and the tall one is flustered. But the shorter—still taller than him, the indignity—levels a glare at him worse than his wife's mother used to give him.

But he will not be frightened away. He sends a look back that, as far as he can tell, has no effect. He does not want to make a scene, so he does go check the list again.

As he knew, those two are not on it. When he tracks them down, they're talking to _Sarah_.

He sees red, but keeps his temper and—kindly enough, he thinks—throws them out of his auction house.


	20. Dead Man's Blood

**closer and closer comes the hour of my death**

Kate feels when Luther dies, an emptiness welling within her. For a hundred years he's been her whole world, all she cared about or wanted, and now he's dead, _gone_. She reaches for him with every sense, and he's not _there_.

She lunges forward but one of the pack—she doesn't know who, still searching for Luther—grabs her, tells her _no, we have to go_.

Kate inhales deeply, eyes on the smirking hunter who killed her sire, her king, her mate. She'll tail him to the ends of the earth and extract vengeance.

Once in the car, a sister driving, Kate cries.


	21. Salvation

**Someday they will come to you**

Azazel waits in the infant's room. Sam—his special, favored boy—has made contact with the mother, will be here tonight. It will be the first interaction he's had with Sam since that night twenty-three years ago, when beautiful, firebrand Mary died.

A shame, her death, but unavoidable.

The boy will attack, as his father has trained him to do. He will fail, because the time has not yet come for him to succeed.

Everything is going according to plan. Azazel is pleased.


	22. Devil's Trap

**the crucifix was constructed wrong**

He hasn't worn a human meatsuit in centuries. He, among the strongest, has no need, able to create a body of smoke and ash.

But Azazel slips into John Winchester with ease, makes himself at home. He had almost forgotten the joy of having a mortal completely at his mercy.

And this mortal in particular—such a pain. So determined to hunt down his wife's killer—fool. Chasing shadows and whispers, training his children to follow. He'd have done better to forget what he saw that night.

Azazel flexes John's muscles, then has the ropes bind him down. Those expertly trained boys are coming and John howls in a far corner of his mind.

Grinning with John's mouth, Azazel chortles. The fun will soon begin.


	23. In My Time Of Dying

**if I'd been different, or wise, or calm**

John needs his boys, both of them, but they need each other more than they need him. It angers him, having to beg Mary's killer, Dean's torturer, for help, but Dean is dying and there's no time.

Something is coming and everything hinges on Sam. But Sam needs Dean to stay strong. Dean will do anything that needs to be done, will ground Sam like John never could.

John is weak and tired, and his boy is too young, too good, to die yet.

He'll have to tell Dean the truth before he goes, and he knows it'll hurt his boy. But there is just no more time.


	24. Everybody Loves a Clown

**Yesterday is just a number**

She hasn't seen John in years, not since Bill died, and she never met his boys. She heard of them, of course; John used to talk about them non-stop, but he never brought them by.

Recently, tales have been told of them, Dean and Sam Winchester, as they hunt their way across the country.

And now here they are, come to her because of a message John saved for months. They're tall and strong, Dean hurting and angry, Sam reeling.

She decides to not be gentle with them, not motherly, no matter how much they need it or she wants to, because Dean would never accept it, and, watching them, Sam will follow Dean.


	25. Bloodlust

**lonely for something to touch**

They're dangerous, the Winchesters, both on the edge. Gordon tells them he has the hunt taken care of, knowing they'll show up anyway because Dean is looking for something to kill and he hasn't yet slipped over into killing people.

Gordon's glad for that when they save his life, and he invites them out for a drink.

Dean's dangerous, a hunter like Gordon, but Sam is squeamish, constantly pulling in Dean's instincts, chaining him. Dean loves the kid, though, so he can't see it.

Gordon needs to convince Dean to ditch his little brother, come with him. He can hone what John Winchester(scary bastard) started. Dean could become the greatest hunter in America, if he got rid of Sam's stifling presence.

It'll be hard, but Gordon's never shied away from a challenge.


	26. Children Shouldn't Play Wth Dead Things

**you whom the funeral cannot kill**

He knows it's wrong, that he should have left her dead in the ground. But he's loved her for so long, he couldn't imagine a world without her.

Neal brought Angela back from death, from the grave, and she's so beautiful. He holds her like he never could before, when she was alive and he was just friend Neal, a brother. He holds her, kisses her, strokes her hair, makes love to her. It's better than all those times he imagined it.

But something still feels wrong. He's played with the natural order, and nothing good will come of it.

He chases those thoughts away and kisses Angela.


	27. Simon Said

**a sweet dream when the long trick's over**

Andy's never applied himself in scholarly pursuits—never saw the need. He didn't have any plans or dreams for the future; now's always been enough.

His ability—out of the blue, one day—is another toy, a way to get anything he wants. He doesn't use it to hurt people, so there's nothing wrong.

The car following him is sweet, such a gorgeous ride. He wants to drive her so much—and the guy inside is a looker, too. Shame Andy doesn't swing that way.

He'll just take the car for a minute, leave her somewhere obvious.

No one'll get hurt.


	28. No Exit

**Watcher **

_for Mom_

They're fighting again. Always fighting. They're too much alike, I can tell. This time, it's about a hunt young Joanna wants to go on, instead of a boy.

My girl Ellen has always scared off any males coming around. She can be quite the terrifying woman. Joanna has never understood her mother, but I remember those days after her William died. She never even got to see his body, to say goodbye.

I never forget. For me, all the past is yesterday.

Joanna wants her own life, to honor her father's memory. I can see, though, that she lacks the stomach for it. She thinks herself brave and strong, but I knew her as a child.

Ellen has the right of it, but she's going about it the wrong way. Commands have never worked on young Joanna.

Oh, and here come those Winchester boys again. Lord, how I wish I could sigh.


	29. The Usual Suspects

**that which we are, we are**

She wants him to turn on Dean. They all do. Sell his brother out to save his own skin. Send Dean to death row so he can go back to Stanford.

Tell them that Dean killed Jessica and all those women in St. Louis, killed Giles and his wife. Say that he went along with it out of fear and twisted devotion.

_Yes, it was all his fault. I didn't know what to do. Thank God it's all over. Thank God, I'm finally free._

He knows what they want to hear. He'll never say the words. Dean's not a monster, nowhere near the man they make him out to be. And if he goes down, whether he likes it or not, Sam'll go down with him.


	30. Crossroad Blues

**I close my eyes and suck you in like fire**

He's so beautiful, young Dean Winchester. It's a pleasure just to be near him, able to look at him. The bonus is taunting him with his father's fate. Anger gives him a wonderful glow.

She bathes in his fury and his pain, in his desperation. He'd kill himself to keep his brother and father safe, if he had the chance, so she plays on that—his soul would be a grand prize.

He thinks he's such a clever child, trying to trap her in his car. She laughs at his audacity and strides away.

But Dean calls her back, eyes big and face sad. Quite the adorable boy. She can't help but pity him.

Then she realizes she is trapped, that she has underestimated the elder Winchester.

A mistake she won't make twice. 


	31. Croatoan

**Brother, leave no man behind**

Sam tells him to go, but Dean—stupid, foolish _bastard_—refuses to leave. Sam raises his voice and Dean just says, "Sam, for the last time… no." His voice is so tired.

Sam wants him to get out, to _live_. They're all that's left of their family, and someone needs to survive, to get the demon.

Dean just gazes down at the cold guns in his hands, places them on the counter.

His whole life, Dean's never been further away than a phone call. And now, in his stubborn, pig-headed, protect Sam no matter _what_ way, he refuses to let Sam become a monster alone.

Sam would hate the bastard, if he didn't love him so much.


	32. Hunted

**Once I was young and bold**

This tall guy from her nightmare is crazy, has to be, but he can explain what's going on, so she stays. She listens to his madness, and it sounds pretty convincing, which frightens Ava. She's always prided herself on being reasonable and responsible, down-to-earth, never letting hope or fear cloud her judgment.

And this guy, Sam—he's turning her world on its axis. But he's here with her, grounded and strong.

So maybe everything will be okay.


	33. Playthings

**she is like a golden ring**

It's been worrying her, Tyler's imaginary friend. She's eleven, too old for such games.

Susan thinks it might be the shock of Mom's stroke, selling the hotel, moving after living here her whole life. It might pass soon, as the newness wears off.

But Tyler's been doing and saying things that aren't her, wearing old-fashioned clothes, being nasty and cruel. In all the commotion, Susan hasn't had the time to take her to a therapist, to figure out what's going on in her daughter's head. She feels bad about that, but everything will calm down soon.

Tyler's always been a bright, kind child. If Susan doesn't make a big deal about it, it'll pass.

Anyway, there's still guests to see about, like the couple—wow, _quite_ the gorgeous men—that just walked in. Why are all the hot ones gay?


	34. Nightshifter

**one-eyed man in the land of the blind**

They're listening to him. Actually giving him his say. No one has listened to him, not the cops or his friends, or even his mom.

But these two agents—actual _FBI_ giving him a chance!

He lays it all out, sees belief in the nicer, shorter one's face. The other—tall and frightening—seems disinterested. But Ronald knows he can convince the nice one he's right.

He owes Juan that much.


	35. Houses of the Holy

**The devil put his finger upon us**

Dean will never understand humans. There's already enough evil in the world happy to tear it apart, so he doesn't get why they've gotta kill and hurt each other, too.

He doesn't expect to find anything, breaking into the dead guy's house. Just some poor bastard killed by a crazy drunk.

So when Sam cracks open the email and they learn the poor bastard was actually a sick fuck, Dean's stomach twists.

He doesn't understand humans, and sometimes he almost forgets why they're worth saving.


	36. Born Under a Bad Sign

**I know your look when I get there**

_Stop it,_ Sam shrieks from the corner of his own mind, trying to buck Meg off, out, away. _Leave him the fuck alone!_

Her laughter is dark and mad, and Sam flinches from the sound, jerks back in the confines of his own fucking **mind**, and Meg **won't stop laughing**.

_Fight all you like_, she purrs, using his eyes to stare at his face in the mirror. "You won't win," she says aloud, stealing his voice and lips and tongue. "You'll never reclaim this body." She uses his hand to run his fingers through his hair. "It's mine."


	37. Tall Tales

**I am rowing, I am rowing**

Dean is pissing him off by breathing. Sam doesn't understand why Dean's presence is driving him up the wall, but Dean isn't doing a damn thing to make it easier.

He knows he should be going easier on Dean, with Meg using his possessed body to beat the shit out of him, but Dean's fully healed up and back to being as annoying as humanly possible.

And this case is not helping. It doesn't make any sense, Dean's being a prick, and that smug look on his face—Sam closes his eyes to keep from breaking Dean's nose and suggests they split up for the day.


	38. Road Kill

**Ah, sweetling, the price of love**

She can't find David. Last thing she remembers is swerving, then darkness. And he's gone. She called him a jerk, and then there was a wreck—she hit a tree—and now David's _gone_.

She yells his name and crawls out of the car, looks around. He's not there. She panics, runs through the woods a way before finding the road.

She has to get help. David could be in trouble.

She has to get help.


	39. Heart

**two fireflies died unnoticed**

You offer to do it. Shoot Madison in the heart. Kill a monster and an innocent girl at the same time. You take the gun from him. "I got this," you say.

He wants to hand the whole ordeal over to you. Wants you to take the burden, to take care of everything like you've always done.

You've killed people before. He hasn't. You accepted that guilt a long time ago.

_I got this._

He's crying. Too old for your arms now, too grown for big brother to scoop him up and make everything better with tickles and a promise.

_I got this._

He takes the gun back and goes to kill the last of his innocence.


	40. Hollywood Babylon

**If they knew sweet little you**

He's cute, eager to please, and happy to talk about anything she wants to talk about. He runs to get her smoothies and coffee, water and Coke. She mentions that she's hungry and he hurries off, then returns in a few moments with a platter of fruit, miniature sandwiches, and a piece of cake.

His adoring gaze makes her feel like a queen, and he's pretty much the cutest thing she's ever seen.


	41. Folsom Prison Blues

**to possess**

Sam sees the way they look at his brother. Like he's just a body, something they want to own, to possess, to break. Sam knows how attractive Dean is, but until they're in prison, it's never hit him like this.

Dean turns a blind eye to the danger, sure he can handle himself. But Sam sees the inmates watch Dean, talking amongst themselves.

They need to get out of here. But until the hunt is over, Dean won't leave. So Sam will keep an eye on his brother, make sure Dean's never alone. And any of those bastards ever try something… One of them meets Sam's gaze across the room. Sam's not the first to look away.


	42. What Is and What Should Never Be

**It's a brother thing**

_for violetlily18_

Dean should have been back hours ago. He's not, and something's gone wrong.

It's not a psychic thing: Dean, ever since Meg possessed me, lets me know where he is. Just like I call him to check in.

But I can't get him. He's not answering his phone. He'd pick up just to tell me to stop calling, but he _hasn't_.

Something's wrong. He's hours late, with no word. Something's _wrong_. Dean's in trouble—I know it. I have to find him because I can't lose him too.

I can't. I _won't_.


	43. All Hell Breaks Loose I

**within a finger's breadth of being mad**

"Sam!"

Bobby flinches and turns, looks back through the gloom at John's boys. He's not nearly fast enough to catch the back-stabbing bastard, and all his shots miss—Bobby has never been good with guns, and he's never regretted it so much as now.

He trudges back to where Dean is gripping his brother, silently rocking.

Bobby looks away, reaching up to rub his eyes. The world just became a much bleaker place, and Bobby can't begin to imagine what Dean will do now.


	44. All Hell Breaks Loose II

**I would not lose you for a world**

He's trapped, knowledge billowing up—_I killed you_—and Mom's killer, Jessica's killer, Dad's killer kneeling next to Dean, saying something he can't hear, standing back, raising the Colt—

He can't get free, everything's just out of reach, nothing's right, nothing—_I killed you_—Dean was so desperate, so happy to see him—_you can't patch up a wound that bad—_

The demon is raising the Colt, his back to Sam. But he can't move, can't move—just a little more time, he'll make the power work—_my favorite_—

And then—

_Dad?_


	45. The Magnificent Seven

**unacquainted with my face, you wore it **

It remembers them. It cannot help but remember them; prisoners always remember the guards who escort them to prison, who steal their freedom. It remembers the way the elder hit its host, poured the holy water on the host's chest, the fire in the elder's eyes when it told the younger his girlfriend burned.

A lie, of course, but that is the way of things. Demons have no concept of the truth.

It remembers them, those hunters. It remembers them and hungers to claw out of Hell and go for them, punish them. As the time passes in Hell, it clings to revenge, to its hatred for those petty humans who dared send it back into the depths.

And the gate opens, that portal back into the world. As the hordes stream through, it rushes with them, howling.

It is free to hunt them, those humans. It is free and it shrieks their name into the night: _Winchester._


	46. The Kids Are Alright

**You inherit the sins, you inherit the flames **

Ryan Humphrey has been bullying you for months. You've taken it and taken it, not told Mom or any teachers—it's not that big a deal. Just some shoves, a few kicks. Nothing you can't handle.

But Grandma gave you that game for your birthday. She traveled all the way from _Paris_. You've seen her only a couple of times and she placed it directly in your hands herself, with a loving smile. "Your mama told me you've been wanting this particular one," she said. "I hope I got it right."

You shouldn't have let Ryan take it. But if you hadn't, Ryan might have broken it, just to be mean.

So you watch, stewing in your anger and indecision—Mom's told you not to fight, there's _always_ another way, but you're just so tired of being picked on, pushed around.

When the man from your party sits down beside you and tells you what to do, you only hesitate for a moment before getting up to follow his advice. It's frightening and exhilarating, and Dean gives you an encouraging grin. You don't want to let him down—and you want your game back.

Ryan looms over you, with his followers at his back. You have one second of thinking better, but then he speaks and your anger takes over.

Dean told you what to do, and you do it. It's the greatest rush you've ever felt.


	47. Bad Day at Black Rock

**the metallic rains kept on **

He is good at lying, the Adversary, wide eyes, kind face, floppy hair—he looks just like a naïve college student. But Kubrick is not fooled; Gordon Walker warned him of the tricks this "man" would try to pull, of his gifted, silver tongue.

It feels good, slapping the Adversary across his lying face. God sent him on this path, placed this evil in his sight, to deal with, to eradicate for the well-being of all.

And Kubrick will follow Jesus Christ's command. This man, this monster in man-skin, is a threat, and he will be taken out of this world.


	48. Sin City

**the dead are very close**

The savior's brother is beautiful, the most attractive meat-suit she's ever seen. Inside, Casey agrees.

She speaks, merely to hear his voice again—such a pleasurable sound. He uses biting sarcasm to mask his fear, cutting words to display anger.

He's a fun boy, this Dean Winchester. She wants to keep him as a toy, her plaything forever. But he is not hers to own, and the savior would not ever consider sharing this man.

And she would never ask. Such insolence could result in only pain, would deserve only pain.

"Lucifer's really real?" Dean asks, sounding awed.

She doesn't say, _Yes, and he's your brother_. She can't be absolutely sure, and lying to the savior's brother is one sin she'll never commit.


	49. Bedtime Stories

**rampage freedom there **

He says to let him go, like it's easy. Good advice, what the doctor did. Letting go. Stop searching, stop fighting, stop hoping.

If it's such good advice, why the hell didn't Dean let him stay dead? Why did Dean make that deal, if letting go is the right thing to do?

Because he's _Dean_, that's why. And because it was _Sam_ who'd died. Because Dean isn't as _important_ as Sam.

Sam watches Dean walk away and decides, fuck that. Sam's not letting go; not now, not ever.

If Dean can hold on until his fingers fall off or the world burns, Sam won't do any less.


	50. Red Sky at Morning

**Oh, to be so young again**

She hasn't danced with a man since her husband passed, and he was nowhere near attractive as this boy. Gert knows she's being ridiculous, but she turned seventy a few months ago, so she's running out of time.

She's earned a little fun, after all, and teasing this boy? Most fun she's had since before the kids were born.

He's broad and tall; pressed up against him on the dance floor, she can feel how strong he is. He's polite, too; most young folk she's known would have left by now. Someone raised this boy right, to respect his elders.

Until he pushes her away, she'll press her luck, so she lays her head on his chest and pretends she's twenty-five again.


	51. Fresh Blood

**should have stayed a great unknown **

"Gordon Walker," he says and her heart skips a beat. She's heard of him, about his madness and obsession—about how dangerous he is.

She looks in his eyes and sees only conviction for his cause. From what she knows, he doesn't kill innocents. Just those he thinks are monsters. Which is she?

"Sam Winchester is the Anti-Christ," he tells her, surety in every nuance of his voice. She stares at him, at a complete loss for words.

Honestly, did they meet the _same_ Sam Winchester?

That moment, realizing that Gordon Walker is totally mad, is when she's sure he'll kill her. She worked with the "Anti-Christ," after all.

"Tell me where they are," he says, "Or I shoot you."

She looks him in the eye and realizes he will. But she's faced down scarier things than him and she does not get intimidated. So she offers him a deal that he hasn't the patience to refuse.


	52. A Very Supernatural Christmas

**the death of childhood**

His last Christmas. Damn, he'll be gone soon, burning in the Pit. Leaving Sam alone. Leaving Sam behind.

He just wants to spend the holiday with his little brother, like they haven't since before Stanford.

But Sam doesn't want to, can't even give him that. Dean doesn't let on how much the refusal hurts him, because at least Sam's alive to tell him no.


	53. Malleus Maleficarum

**And I will fight his fight**

"Sam, something's wrong," he tells you. "There's a bunch'a knives inside me." He's doubling over, coughing and gasping, and you tear the room apart looking for the curse. He falls off the bed, blood sprinkling out of his mouth, and you stop. Just stop. Look at him for a moment, everything narrowing to your brother, dying huddled on the floor.

No. This _won't_ happen. If you have to kill every single person in this fucking town, this will _not_ be how and where Dean dies.

You take off, grabbing the Colt on your way out. He calls after you, but you harden your heart.

He'd stop you, if he could. He's better than you, stronger and kinder. But he's gasping on the floor, so it's up to you now.

It's up to you, and this will _not_ be how Dean dies.


	54. Dream a Little Dream of Me

**I am a watercolor**

_You can't escape me, Dean! And this… this is what you'll become! _

Denial is fierce in your gut and you want to scream back at this figment of your imagination, but words won't come. You can only stare at its eyes—_your eyes_—black and empty, and can't say anything.

_You can't escape me, Dean!_

You will, you _have_ to… this shard of your greatest fear will not be your fate.


	55. Mystery Spot

**lonely and full of echoes**

He's being entirely too brusque with the man, but he really couldn't give less of a flying fuck. Dean keeps shooting him concerned glances from the corner of his eye, but Sam can't say_ I watched you die because of this bastard's damned jumpy trigger-finger. I keep watching you die, over and over, and there's nothing I can do. I can't stop it and I can't change it, and if you can say __**anything**__ to make that better, please, for the love of God, __**do**__._

This guy killed Dean the first time, even if no one else knows it happened. So Sam won't go easy on him at all.


	56. Jus in Bello

**The world remembers the date **

This is his moment. He has them and they are not escaping this time, chained hand and foot, patted down for picks or paperclips, locked in a cell by a key not going anywhere near them—the Winchesters, finally brought to justice, after a long and merry chase.

He can't help but taunt them. They made his life Hell, made him look a fool with their stunt in Arkansas. But now he has them, the arrogant pricks.

He brings up their dad, all the speculation spouted off by department shrinks, about what can turn a man into a monster.

And then he says the clincher—they'll never see each other again.

Dean's body tightens and Sam sits up. They glance at each other, then him; they look dangerous—tigers caged, but not declawed, licking their fangs.

This is his moment—he's the one who caged them.


	57. Ghostfacers

**you die awake**

"Hey, listen to my voice. Focus on me. Corbett, c'mon, focus on me!"

You try, you try, you try so hard, but it's so so cold, and dark, and what the fuck? Ghosts aren't real, they're not, you were just hoping, looking—and if they were, they wouldn't be evil, wouldn't kill.

"Listen to me, Corbett. Listen to me! It's alright, everything's going to be alright!"

This was going to be the best night of your life—you'd prove to Ed how brave you are, and—and—

"Corbett, listen! No, _don't_—Corbett!"


	58. LongDistance Call

**if that's love, it comes at much too high a cost**

She's always been curious, and he's cute. And maybe she really is worried about the calls from Mom. Maybe she thinks she's losing her mind, finally jumping off the deep end. Maybe she thinks it all just some weird dream and she'll wake up to Mom making pancakes and they'll laugh and go shopping and Mom'll smell like oregano.

He's got a nice voice, soothing and deep, and she could drown in it. And Mom isn't here to tell about him, to say _He's taller than anybody and so nice, and is it okay if I'm fantasizing about marrying him?_

Mom isn't here to respond, _'course it is, lovie. He seems like a nice enough_ _boy_.

She's always been curious, and it's not Mom on the phone—can't be. Because Mom wouldn't ask her to do those things.

Mom would never ever ask her to kill herself. It can't be Mom. Just can't be. And he can help. He has to help.

Because Mama isn't here.


	59. Time Is On My Side

**thought I heard a black bell toll**

She's been so bloody _stupid_. So long with only herself, no one else to care or worry, and she's forgotten. Only Bobby, for years and years, and even he'd tossed her aside for the Winchesters.

The Winchesters. Her one way out of this bloody fucking mess, _kill them_, the demon bitch said. _Kill them and you're free_.

It hurt, deep inside where she refused to think about it, where Daddy's touches are buried and a little girl screams, but she shot them. She wanted to live, still wants to live, but the hounds are howling and Dean said—damn him, damn her, he said—

_I'll see you in Hell. _

They could have helped her. They _would_ have. Because… they're good. Better than she ever was.

_I'll see you in Hell._

She made her deal because of hate and pain and vengeance. He made his because of despair and love.

The hounds are howling and she knows he deserves better.

"Kill the bitch," she says. "I don't want to see you there."


	60. No Rest for the Wicked

**I cannot love but one**

Bobby can still close his eyes and see Dean cradling his little brother's body, keening and crying, begging Sam to come back. It's like no time has passed at all since Cold Oak, except the positions are reversed this time.

It's Sam with Dean spread across his lap, bloody and broken; it's Sam pleading and whimpering, face buried in Dean's neck. It's Sam he's helpless to help—Sam, who a year ago was dead.

"Sam," he says softly, slowly and carefully kneeling at Sam's side. "We hafta go, son."

Sam doesn't respond. He doesn't move.

A year ago the positions were reversed. Bobby still doesn't know what to do.

"Sam," he tries again, reaching out to touch Sam's shoulder.

The last remaining Winchester jerks away, pulling his brother with him. "I promised to save him," Sam whispers. "I lied. I didn't—" His voice breaks and he curls over Dean's body, sobbing.

Bobby stays kneeling, determined to see this through.


	61. Lazarus Rising

**Heaven's unbroken prodigal son**

_For fairiekween13_

He hasn't given up on saving Dean—he will _never_ give up on that—but for the moment, he can't find a way. So he's focused on tracking Lilith; if he finds her, he can force her to restore Dean.

(He promised to not accept his demon-given abilities, but Dean left. Dean _left_.)

Sam hasn't spoken to Bobby in three months and nine days. He's been with Ruby (who claims to be helping, but she let Dean die, so he'll never trust her)for two-and-a-half. She's taught him a lot; he's never felt so powerful.

(It's not enough. Dean's still gone and Hell still won't let Sam in to save him.)

He hasn't given up on saving Dean. Will _never_ give up on saving Dean, but he doesn't see a way of doing it.

(Ruby's told him it's impossible. He can't believe that.)


	62. Are You There, God?

**I do not know if we can be again as we have been**

He never thought of her as a coward, even when she said she wouldn't help with Lilith. An annoyance and a liar, somebody who could never be trusted—but not a coward.

The months with her instead of Dean lasted forever, each day longer than the one before it. She was a help, telling him how to access the power that saved him from Lilith. She taught him, patiently and kindly, not at all like a demon.

But despite that, Sam thought _Coward_ as she walked away after learning about Castiel. _Coward_.

Most of him hoped she never came back. But a small part had grown to like her. She had helped, when she didn't need to. She could have let him flounder, let him die. Sometimes, he even found her amusing.

But Dean had been restored to him. Dean was home. Sam's powers were strong and he didn't need help from a demon anymore.

_Coward_, he thought again, as she vanished from sight.

Then he returned to Dean.


	63. In The Beginning

**whoever wears his crown will share his grave**

This boy is sincere, the hunter from the future, come back to save his family. He swears he'll kill Azazel, that he _has_ killed Azazel.

The meatsuit is screaming, Samuel Campbell, father of firebrand Mary. The meatsuit is screaming and the boy's eyes are full of promise.

_Dean Winchester_, Azazel thinks. _I'll remember you_.


	64. Metamorphosis

**insatiable**

He ignored the hunger, shoved it aside. He pretended it wasn't there. He ate everything he could, but still—Michelle appealed to him more.

And then that old man threatened her, wanted to kill her because of Jack. Because of the hunger.

Michelle was Jack's, to love and to protect. That man wanted to destroy her. So all of jJack's reasons to fight the hunger just exploded in a rush of rage.

Michelle was crying. That bastard apologized but kept pouring the gas.

Jack looked at his wife, his best friend, the only person he ever loved. _Mine_, he thought. And the hunger thrummed through him, screaming in his blood.

_Mine_, he thought again, as he tore his way free.

He'd never been so hungry, and it was time to feast.


	65. Monster Movie

**though his tongue dropped manna**

He's not FBI, that much is obvious. But somehow, while being the hottest guy she's ever seen, he's also adorable, like a little boy. It shouldn't be possible.

He's earnest, consistent in hitting on her, and he keeps his gaze on her eyes. He gave her one head-to-toe look-over, but after that, his eyes stay on her face.

She'll give him a try, see if he's better than all the others who've hit on her ever since she was fifteen.

(He kept his eyes on her face, and clearly doesn't take himself seriously, so she thinks he will be.)

Midnight, she tells him. She'll give him till twenty after, and she really hopes he'll show.


	66. Yellow Fever

**Hast thou forgot me then**

_Hi, Dean. _

No, no no—only thing in his mind, only word he can utter, only sentiment he can feel.

_Yes, it's me: Lilith. Oh, I missed you so much!_

She's wearing that little girl from the house, from the night he died, the one Sam almost killed. She looks so innocent. So beautiful.

_Time to go back now._

He lunges from her reach, clutching the Bible as hard as he can. This would be a good time for Cas to show up, do some smiting.

_What's the matter, Dean? Don't you remember all the fun you had Down There?_

She's not real. She can't be real. It's just his mind, playing tricks.

_You do remember._

It's all in his head, and Sam's going to fix this. He will.


	67. It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

**their God may prove their foe**

It hasn't been this hard since the first time. He knows it's because he quit practicing, stopped using Azazel's curse.

He doesn't want to use it now, and the power knows it. It's sluggish, hesitant, and Samhain is the strongest demon he's ever tried to kill this way.

(Would Lilith feel like this, once he's found her?)

Samhain slowly forces his way closer; Sam's head is screaming and his knees want to buckle, but if he fails, if Samhain kills him, next he'll go for Dean and the town—over a thousand souls rest on his shoulders. He has to do this.

He won't let Dean die again. Not even if it costs him being smote down by some hard-assed angel.


	68. Wishful Thinking

**Superman **

It'd been fun, really _really_ fun, to beat up the bullies, to scare them, to chase _them_ for a change. But it had been scary, too, and when the strength left him, he was looking at the man he'd been strangling—Superman didn't strangle people, so why had Todd? He wanted to be Superman, not one of the bad guys.

"Just follow my lead, kid," the man said gruffly, rising to his feet. Todd had no idea what else to do, so he did, and the guy he'd only been mean to actually _helped_ him with the bullies, tricking them so they'd leave him alone _forever_.

Todd watched him go, and didn't want to be Superman anymore.


	69. I Know What You Did Last Summer

**unconditional **

Dean wants to know what Sam was doing before he came back. Those four months are a huge blank—Sam's different, colder yet warmer, and he flows from emotion to emotion like water.

And finally, Sam is willing to tell him. Two months of half-truths and lies, and quietly he starts the story.

Dean wants to know. He _needs_ to know so that he can understand this man his baby brother has become.

But he's so scared Sam did something horrible, led by that demon-bitch. And if he did, Dean's not sure if knowledge will change how he feels about Sam or not.

Watching Sam tell the story, his despair and rage and trying to drown in alcohol and trying to die—Dean knows that Sammy is still there. And Sammy is everything.


	70. Heaven and Hell

**confound Heaven's purest light**

Uriel is looking at him like he's the lowest form of filth, not even good enough to be dragged in by the dog. Dean listens as Uriel tells him he's nothing, not worth saving, but he can earn points by giving up Anna. Sam's plan needs angels and demons together, but Anna's not in on it. She'll think he actually betrayed her.

_Sam or the traitor_, Uriel rumbles. _Give me her location or I'll pluck your brother's speck of a soul from his body, then send you back to the Pit._

Dean looks at the ground and tells him.


End file.
